The Denver Broncos have a strong history and many greats to come through the program. They also had many successful players at the most important position: quarterback. We are taking a look back at the greatest to wear orange and blue.
Top 5 Denver Broncos Quarterbacks
5 | Brian Griese
This third-round quarterback out of Michigan played in Denver from 1998-2002. In his five years with Denver, Brian Griese was 27-24 as the Broncos Quarterback. He also threw for 11,763 yards with 71 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. He also ended his career with Denver with a 62.2 completion percentage and an 84.1 quarterback rating.
Being drafted in the third round and expected to replace John Elway would be a very difficult job. That is what was expected of Griese. The young QB did a good job for Denver too. Since Denver is having a hard time finding a good quarterback after Manning, it shows you how this could have gone for Denver. Griese gave Denver a good 5 years while even going to a Pro Bowl in one on them.
4 | Craig Morton
Craig Morton played for the Broncos for six seasons. He played from 1977-1982 going 41-23. In those 64 games, he threw for 11,895 yards with 74 touchdowns and 65 interceptions. He also ended his career with Denver with a 56.9 completion percentage and a 79.1 quarterback rating.
Craig Morton will probably be remembered for his great success with the Dallas Cowboys. The veteran quarterback also played very well in Denver and gave them six winning seasons. Morton made it to one Super Bowl but lost to his old team, the Cowboys. Morton did a good job at Denver bringing the program back to its winning ways and passing the torch to someone else on this list.
3 | Jake Plummer
In 2003 the Denver Broncos took a chance on a struggling quarterback from the Arizona Cardinals. After that, Jake Plummer played his next four years and retired in Denver. Plummer had a record of 39-15 while throwing for 11,631 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. He also had a completion percentage of 59.1 percent and an 84.3 quarterback rating.
Jake Plummer had a new life in Denver. He took it and gave the Denver Broncos three playoff appearances and one AFC title game in 2005. He retired in 2006 when Jay Cutler took his place.
2 | Peyton Manning
One of the greatest Indianapolis Colts‘ quarterbacks hit the free agency in 2012 and the Denver Broncos signed him. This was one of the best signings in Broncos history. Peyton Manning brought the Broncos to two Super Bowls from 2012-2015 and won one of them to retire on top.
In his four years with the Broncos, Peyton Manning threw for 17,112 yards with 140 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. His record as a Broncos was 45-12. He also had a 66.5 completion percentage and a 101.7 quarterback rating in those four years. Even with only four years with the team, he will go down as one of the best Denver Broncos quarterbacks of all time.
1 | John Elway
Who else could top this list but the face of the Denver Broncos? John Elway got drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1983 but refused to play for them and got traded to the Broncos. He had 9 Pro Bowls, 1 Super Bowl MVP, and 2 Super Bowl rings in his 16 years with Denver.
In his long 16 year career, Elway went 148-82-1 as a starter and threw for 51,475 yards, 300 touchdowns, and 226 interceptions. He also ended with a 56.9 completion percentage, and a 79.9 quarterback rating.
For a quarterback to spend his whole career with one team and win two Super Bowls is unheard of. That is why that John Elway will forever be Denver’s best quarterback of all time.
Thanks for reading my article about the top five Denver Broncos quarterbacks! Follow me on Twitter @zluke22 for more Broncos, Buffaloes, and Rockies news.
Also, follow @OT_Heroics and @OTH_Fotball for all of your NFL needs.
Main Image Credit
You’re kidding right? Brian Griese? I could name 5 more Denver QB’s that I’d put on this list before him.